World Peace Day: Be a messenger of peace
INTERNATIONAL Day of Peace, also known as World Peace Day, is celebrated worldwide on September 21 each year to recognize those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace, and to strengthen the ideals of peace among all nations and within people of all countries. It is a day of ceasefire – personal or political – and usually celebrated with music, dance, drama, interfaith ceremony, peace walk, community prayer, peace tree-planting, readings from various cultures, and white candle lighting ceremony.
International Day of Peace is observed in many nations. Every year, the Peace Bell is rung at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City to open the day; the bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents. Given as a gift by the UN Association of Japan as “a reminder of the human cost of war,” the inscription on the bell reads: “Long live absolute world peace.”
The 2015 theme is “Partnerships for Peace – Dignity for All” to focus on the importance of working together to strive for peace. Working for peace in communities and around the world hinges on cooperation and collaboration among governments, civil society, the private sector, faith-based groups, and non-government organizations, and their support for the UN in achieving its future goals.
A UN resolution established the International Day of Peace in 1981. The first World Peace Day was celebrated in 1982 and was observed on the third Tuesday of September each year until 2002, when September 21 became the permanent date. The UN declared that the day should be observed as day of global ceasefire and non-violence. Since its inception, many events have been organized to mark World Peace Day each year, participated in by millions of people.
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by lack of violence. It suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, socioeconomic prosperity, equality, and a working political order that serves the best interests of all. In international relations, peacetime is not only the absence of war or conflict, but also the presence of cultural and economic understanding and unity.
The white dove flying with an olive branch in its beak is a symbol of the celebration. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, a white dove is a sign for peace. The dove represents “hope for peace” and the olive branch a peace offering from one person to another. It is often represented as still in flight to remind people of its role as messenger of peace.